Dong Hai Chuan is generally recognized as the founder of Bagua Zhang (Eight
Trigrams Palm), one of the three internal styles of kung fu. However, there are
many who dispute this, mainly due to the many questions about the man that are
still unanswered. Dong was supposedly born in 1797, during the reign of Emperor
Jia Qing, and died in 1882 during the reign of Emperor Guang Xu, at the age of
85.

Exact and plentiful details concerning Dong Hai Chuan and his creation of Bagua Zhang are few and and often contradictory to
one another, due in large part to an aura of mystery that Dong intentionally
cultivated. We do know that he was originally born and raised in Wen An, Hebei
province, and later moved to Beijing, where he taught the palace guards his new
and unique style, Bagua Zhang. Several legends and possibilities are presented
below.

One legend is that Dong wondered into the
mountains near Beijing and encountered a dwarf. This dwarf allegedly led Dong to
a monk named Bi Deng Xia (Man Without Shadow Under the Lamp) who was the chief
student of the actual founder of Bagua Zhang. Dong acquired his art from
Bi Deng Xia while Song Wei Yi, the famous swordsman, learned his skill from Bi
Yue Xia (Man Without Shadow Under the Moon). In 1949, the writer Li Yingan
was learning swordsmanship with master Guo Zhifeng. According to master
Guo his arts came from Master Song Wei Yi. However, Master Guo's
swordsmanship and pugilistic arts are quite different from those of Dong Hai
Chuan's. In view of this difference, it can be presumed that the validity
of this tale is highly questionable.

Another version came from Master Ren
Zhicheng who wrote a book called "Yin Yang Ba Gua Zhang".
According to this book, Ren's teacher Master Li Zhenqing's Eight Palm Maneuvers
and Dong Hai Chuan's Eight Palm Maneuvers were both learned from Master Dong
Menglin. Indeed there were many similarities between Li's and Dong Hai
Chuan's styles. However, there is no concrete proof of master Ren's
version.

The most reasonable explanation is that
Dong Hai Chuan created Bagua Zhang from his own life experiences. He
trained extensively in martial arts for much of his youth in his home. At
the age of 40, he was said to have left Wen An and joined a pacifist order of
Daoist monks who practiced their faith by walking in circles and chanting
mantras. He later became a servant in the Emperor's kitchen where he had
to balance great dishes on each hand and in so doing inspired many future Bagua
palm movements. It is most likely that he combined various elements - his
years of training in Wen An, the circle walking of the Daoists, the footwork and
palm changes in the kitchen - to create the Bagua Zhang forms.

On one occasion, the Emperor entertained
his guests to a great feast. The palatial grounds were crowded with people
at that time and entrance and exit was impossible. Dong Hai Chuan,
however, could maneuver himself in and out of the palace grounds with his
impressive footwork while balancing trays in each hand. The Emperor was
very impressed by Dong's agility and questioned him. It was then that Dong
first revealed himself to be a master of Bagua Zhang, and was obliged to give a
display of his skill. His performance was so unique that on the spot, the
Emperor made Dong the trainer of the palace guards. After this, Dong's
fame spread far and wide. Dong only had a few students, as few could gain
access to the closely guarded imperial palace. It was only after his
retirement when he lived outside the palace that he gained more followers.

Dong Hai Chuan rarely discussed the origin
of the art with his pupils. Only after a visit paid him by Song Wei Yi did
he say that Song's teacher and his teacher were fellow students. As Song
was a master swordsman, it was thought by Dong's pupils that there was a
historical connection between the two schools. It was later learned from
certain sources that Dong in all likelihood had formerly been a notorious bandit
with a price on his head. To escape the the authorities, he may have then
became a monk, but was later expelled from the monastery for intemperance.
Perhaps as a last resort, he ended up as a servant in the Emperor's palace.

Dong had 57 students. The most famous
were Yin Fu, Ma Wei Qi, Shi Ji Dong, and Cheng Ting Hua.

Dong died in 1880 at the age of 85. He was
buried a mile away from the East Gate of Beijing, and ever since, his tomb has
become a Mecca for all practitioners of Bagua Zhang. Bagua Zhang practitioners
today are fourth and fifth generation descendants of his legacy.